Blue Wall Birding Festival

Upstate South Carolina

May 12 - 15, 2016

Spring Birding in Beautiful Upstate South Carolina

South Carolina Parks, Recreation, and Tourism is proud to present the second annual Blue Wall Birding Festival, held in Upstate South Carolina
from May 12 to May 15, 2016. Our home base for the event will again be Table Rock State Park.
From there, we will branch out and bird some of the best hotspots for spring migration in northwestern SC. At this time of year, we should find
a great variety of migrating birds as well as a nice selection of the area's breeding birds, such as Swainson's Warbler, and perhaps a few
lingering winter residents. All trips will be led by knowledgeable local birders.

Table Rock State Park

Throughout the weekend we hope to showcase the great birding and parks that Upstate South Carolina has to offer, as well as some of the conservation
work that is under way in the area. The area has a great variety of habitat, from the open country landscape of the Townville area, to the striking
mountains of Table Rock and Caesar's Head State Parks, to the pristine and beautiful Lake Jocassee.

Participation will be limited to 50 attendees in order to keep the field trip group sizes small, so sign up quickly.

Schedule

THURSDAY, MAY 12

7:00 PM - Opening comments and introductions, followed by a discussion of the National Park Service / National Geographic
Bio Blitz 2016, and a viewing of The Messenger.

Thursday night we will gather together to introduce some of our trip leaders, discuss the logistics for the weekend, and enjoy chatting
about birds. We'll talk about the Bio Blitz being jointly sponsored by the
National Park Service and
National Geographic, in
honor of the 100-year anniversary of the NPS. For those interested, we'll host a viewing of
The Messenger, a film describing threats to
songbirds and what we can do to help. Light snacks and drinks will be provided.

SATURDAY, MAY 14

7:00 PM - Social and festival wrap-up, including species count-down. Meet at the Table Rock "Barn." Snacks and drinks provided.

SUNDAY, MAY 15

6:30 AM - For those interested, Trip 7, to Lake Conestee, departs.

7:00 AM - For those interested, Trip 8, to Lake Jocassee and Devils Fork State Park, departs. See our Outings page
for more information.

Accommodations

Participants are encouraged to stay at the cabins at Table Rock State Park,
which will be held for attendees of this festival until March 31, 2016. Table Rock also has
several campsites available. In addition, the following state parks
in the area have cabins or campsites available, as specified:

There are also several hotels available in Clemson, Seneca, and Easley.

Cost

The cost for the event is $100 per person, and includes guides for all trips, admission to Thursday night's presentation and to any state parks
included as part of a field trip itinerary, and snacks and drinks at the Thursday and Saturday evening events. For those interested, it also
includes admission to Table Rock State Park after hours for Friday night's owling excursion, and a guided tour of
Lake Conestee Nature Park on Sunday morning (Trip 7).

For those interested in Trip 8, to Devil's Fork State Park and Lake Jocassee, there is an additional cost of
$40 per person to cover the boat tour portion, allowing close looks at Loons and Grebes, a chance at seeing the Peregrine Falcons nesting
along the cliffs, and a very enjoyable and relaxing ride on a beautiful lake in the mountains.

Not included in the registration fees are accommodations, meals, and transportation, with the exception of Trip 4, covering Table Rock and the
Mountain Bridge Wilderness, which will use the State Parks van for transportation.

Registration

Registration is open until April 1, 2016. Details for how to sign up can be found on our
Registration Page.

Partners

The inaugural Blue Wall Birding Festival is being brought to you by the following organizations: